Book 2 - The Sum of Reality
by smolTITAN118
Summary: Striker Titan Jayla Rin and her fireteam enter an unforgiving labirynth of powerful, dangerous enemies, haunting ghosts of their past, and frightening visions of their future while searching for missing researcher, Asher Mir.
1. Remembrance

Jayla Rin, Striker Titan, was lying on her back, on a flat roof. She had purposely found a darkened part of the tower, so she could see the stars.

Her ghost, Orrin, settled with her.

"It's been a pretty quiet weekend." He said after a few minutes of silence.

Jayla nodded. "Yeah. Too quiet. I like to keep busy; it keeps me from thinking too much."

Orrin looked sideways at her. "I think that's called escapism; that can't be healthy…" Jayla smiled a bit. "Well...everyone needs a little escapism at one point or another."

She looked over at her ghost. "You know it's been a year, Orrin? He's been gone for a year today."

Orrin bobbed understandingly. "You're right...it has been. Imagine that...I knew you didn't think you'd make it, but you did."

"L.J was a huge help." Jayla admitted. "The last person i expected would have been a help in all this."

Orrin hovered above her face and rested on her forehead, lightly like a butterfly and Jayla smiled bigger.

"Reno-13 would be proud of you." He said.

Jayla blinked as tears stung the backs of her eyes. "You...you're just saying that." She said quietly.

"When have i ever 'just said' something?" Orrin asked. "Be serious!"

Jayla rolled her eyes at him and blinked some more. "You really think so?" She asked after a second.

"I know so." Orrin answered. "You came back, even when you didn't think you could. You've continued to make your lives matter, even after sustaining probably the greatest loss you could ever have. Hell; I'm proud of you!"

Jayla sat up straight, and caught the ghost in her hand. "Okay, are you TRYING to make me cry?!" She smiled a bit.

"No…I…" Orrin paused for a minute and hovered back into the air from her hand. "I just want you to know. I don't want you to be discouraged." He admitted.

Jayla smiled bigger and reached out her hand to gently rub the top of his shell with her finger. "But thru it all, I never lost you. You're truly the best, and i don't tell you often enough, i really don't."

"You are my purpose. You've given me everything I could ever want. The only thing that makes me happier is to see you fulfilling your purpose."

Just then, they heard scraping on the side of the wall, and their team's Hunter, L.J, climbed up onto the roof with them. "Any good stars out tonight?" He asked.

Jayla scooted over and he settled next to her. "A few." She answered. "It's still early yet tho."

L.J nodded in agreement.

"Man...a year already." He said after a minute.

Jayla thought he meant since he'd been on their fireteam.

He's a month or so early but correct…

She smiled. "You're right. I think it's technically another couple months or so, but-"

"No...you told me your mission to Titan was today, a year ago." He clarified.

Jayla was surprised and touched that he remembered the anniversary of Reno's death, even tho he didn't know her at the time.

"You're...you're right." She said quietly. "I didn't think you'd remember."

L.J shrugged. "I knew it would probably be a rough day for you; i wanted to be sensitive."

Jayla rolled on her side and looked at him. "How long has it been for you? Since your mission to Mars?"

L.J took a deep breath and let it out loudly. "Eight years, ten months. 16 days." He answered.

Jayla nodded. "Does it get any easier? The anniversaries, as the years go on?"

L.J shook his head. "It's become a part of my life, in the sense that it doesn't shock me or make me sick to think about anymore...And i remember them especially on the day of their death...but no. No, it doesn't get easier."

Jayla thought about that for a minute and then nodded. "I understand."

She looked up as she heard soft steps land on the roof next to them.

It was their team's warlock, Darren Vol. But instead of his usual ornate robes, he was in an exceptionally-comfortable looking sweater, and loose linen pants that allowed him to sit comfortably for meditation. His black hair was pulled in to a small, neat bun at the back of his head.

"I thought i heard you both up here." He said. "You do realize there's meditation going on in the room below you?"

"In the dark?!" Jayla was surprised. She thought she had purposely picked a spot no one else was in.

"Yes, part of it is in the dark." Darren answered. "What are you both doing?"

"Looking at the stars...just talking." Jayla answered.

Darren nodded. "I see. I have some star charts down in the room below us, if you'd like to see them. All accurate and in season, of course."

Jayla sat up. "For sure! That would be awesome; thanks!"

The warlock floated gracefully down to the room he had just come from and came back with the charts. Jayla realized he had copied them down himself.

"Thankyou so much...will you be at breakfast tomorrow? I can get them back to you then."

Darren was quiet for a second. "I actually have a moment; would you like me to show you the best ways to use them?"

Jayla was surprised. Darren didn't usually care for social interaction.

"Umm, sure! If you don't mind…"

"Were you in the middle of a...personal conversation?" Darren asked. "I don't wish to interrupt."

Jayla shook her head. "No, no! Not at all. Please join us!"

Darren nodded appreciatively and laid out the star chart on the flat roof. His ghost, Merin, illuminated them with a soft glow.

They alighted the charts with the sky, and talked about their names and positions for a while, before they finally fell silent again. Each watched the sky, and found peace in the stillness, only broken by the breathing of the others.

Finally, Darren turned to Merin, and she materialized something small into his hand.

"Jayla." He sat up. "I have something for you."

Jayla looked over at him. "For me? Really?"

Darren nodded. "L.J, you're welcome to participate as well, of course.

I've been studying meditations for honoring the deaths of loved ones, in preparation for this day. You aren't the only one who has kept track of the day we lost Reno-13. If you'd like...i thought perhaps we could do the meditation together. And...and i think Reno would be proud of the way our fireteam has been reforged, stronger than before, in his death. It's the greatest thing one can hope for their friends."

Jayla smiled sadly, but her heart was full. "I'd love to. Thankyou Darren. I'd like to think he'd be proud of us too."

She took his hand and L.J's as they arranged themselves in a triangle position with their legs crossed and their ghosts on their knees. "You both have made this difficult day into one of honor and remembrance, and growth, instead of sadness like i expected it would be. I thank you."

Darren flicked his finger and a small purple flame flickered out the end of his thumb. It illuminated the item Merin had materialized into his hand; a small candle.

He set it in the center of the triangle. "Let's begin then. Take a deep breath...focus on the flame, and listen to my voice..."


	2. Mission

Jayla Rin woke up to her ghost, Orrin, beeping loudly next to her head.

"Come on, Jay, time to get up. L.J and Darren are waiting for us!" He said.

Jayla rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. "MmmHHMMMM!" She moaned at him.

"Come on now; we've got stuff to do...The vanguard wants to talk to us as soon as possible, Lord Saladin's in the tower this week-"

Jayla shot up. "Why didn't you say so! Iron Banner baby; lets goooo!"

She quickly began getting ready and Orrin shook his shell back and forth. "Nothing like bribing you with competition to wake you up in the morning…"

"What was that other thing you said?" Jayla pulled her shirt on.

"Ummm…" Orrin tried to remember. "The Vanguard? They want to talk to you...and the guys actually; the whole team."

Jayla raised her eyebrows. "...Really. Huh. Wonder what they want."

"Only one way to find out. What are we wearing today?" Orrin displayed her inventory and she selected armor pieces and weapons. "Hurry up now!"

Jayla quickly rushed into the Courtyard of the tower, looking for her fireteam. Darren Vol was patiently waiting in the staircase, and L.J had just come running up from the direction of the ramen shop, coffee cup still in hand.

The three met eachother in front of the cryptarch and almost all started talking at the same time.

"Iron Banner is-"

"The Vanguard wants-"

"I got you coffee."

The last one was L.J, and he handed Jayla his half-finished cup.

"First thing's first." Darren reminded them. "Iron Banner is not going anywhere."

Jayla sighed, but nodded in agreement.

She sucked down the rest of the coffee as they walked to the point of the tower where Commander Zavala and Ikora Rey were standing.

The fireteam stood, with Jayla in the middle and her Hunter and Warlock on either side of her, patiently waiting for the Vanguard to notice they were there.

Jayla looked at her hands and realized she was still holding the coffee cup. "Uhh…." Panicked, she threw it over her shoulder. "Here, hold this…!" She hissed urgently. Orrin quickly dematerialized the cup out of the air and added it to her inventory, just as the Vanguard turned around.

"Fireteam," Ikora started. "Thankyou for being here. This mission is of some...personal importance, as well as the best interest of the city and protecting our own."

Jayla nodded. "Yes ma'am; how can we help?"

Ikora looked at Zavala for a minute, as if waiting for him to start, and finally said. "It appears we've lost contact with Asher Mir outside the Pyramidian, on Io. For someone with his-" She smiled a bit. "_Meticulous_ personality, it's abnormal for him to miss checking in. We assumed he was distracted the first time and tried again, repeatedly, to no avail. We need you to make the journey to Io, and reassure us of his safety. His health isn't the best, and..." She paused. "This is very...abnormal behavior for him."

Jayla looked at her fireteam members and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, certainly! We'll leave at once."

"Excellent." Ikora nodded. "Also, don't forget to return the coffee cup to the cafe, please."

Jayla's face flushed and L.J snorted with laughter. "Yes ma'am. Let's ride, boys."

Ikora nodded politely to dismiss them but Jayla thought she almost saw a smile at the corner of her lips.

The fireteam turned and walked out of the Courtyard.

Orrin quickly zoomed into the cafe, and Jayla heard the rush of an item materializing onto a table, and he zoomed back out.

"Preliminary mission accomplished!" He said, bumping against her shoulder enthusiastically.

The three entered the hanger and their ghosts prepared the ships for them to transmat aboard.

"SO…" Jayla started, looking at her friends. "Missing fragmented researcher, dense Vex/Taken territory, and just the strength of our Light and eachother to rely on."

L.J clapped Darren's shoulder and smiled broadly. "What are we waiting for?!"


	3. The Gate

Three ships hovered over the surface of Jupiter's moon, Io, and the fireteam transmatted to the surface. The ships began an automatic landing sequence, and the three guardians looked up over the terrain around them. This particular space was mapped as the Rupture, and they had been informed that Asher Mir usually remained local to this area.

Darren silently motioned up over the hill, where several Taken entities were milling about. "Lets attempt to avoid drawing attention to ourselves." He advised.

L.J and Jayla nodded as they cautiously stole up to the little base camp that belonged to Asher. `

The area was littered with testing equipment, lamps, and other devices. Darren looked in entrance to a cave close to a pile of storage containers bearing the tower's label. L.J and Jayla inspected one set of blinking leads lying in a pool of swirling light-colored liquid.

"What is it?" Jayla got down on her knees and started to dip her finger into the pool.

"PROBABLY not a good idea-" L.J gently moved her hand away with his foot.

Darren came out of the cave and walked over to them.

"He's not around. His comm system is fully functional tho. What did you guys find?"

Jayla cautiously pulled on the wire and lifted one of the leads out of the pool.

"Nothing i know what to do anything with."

She stood up. "Probably should spread out a bit, and make sure he's not just checking on an experiment or...ya know, if he fell or something…"

Darren looked at her. "That's not something to joke about. His body has an malignant Vex conversion virus running thru it and it's very possible it could catch up with him any day."

The fireteam walked down to the left of the cave entrance, following the trail of wires and leads. Most were lying in pools of liquid, but a large set was attached to a crumbling Vex gate.

"What's so special about this gate?" Jayla wondered.

"Most likely nothing." L.J ran his finger down the side. "Probably just something else for the poor guy to study.

Darren opened his hand and his ghost, Merin, scanned the gate.

"No signs of power, even with the leads. Wait...most of them are burned out. How did they short out without any-"

In an instant, the gate roared to life, and the gravity of the activation caught Merin and Darren, who was standing in front of the gate.

Jayla yelped and grabbed his hand. She felt L.J grab her arm and tension as Darren was pulled in one direction and L.J pulled her in the other. "Hold him; stop moving!" L.J said, eyes darting around as he looked for a way to stabilize the situation. "Don't let him go!"

He dug his heels into the ground, wrapped one arm around Jayla's waist and pressed his back against the side of the gate, hooking his elbow into one of the curved bars that formed the outer ring. Jayla's hand holding Darren's had almost entered the gate.

"What the hell?!...I thought it didn't have any power!" She braced her arm with her elbow against the gate's frame.

"Apparently now it does-" L.J's voice was strained.

"What do we do?! We don't know where that goes…"

Her fingers crossed the event horizon, and then her wrist.

"Darren!" She yelled into the gate. Her eyes widened. "OW!"

Her hand that was in the gate started burning like it was on fire, and aching like she had crushed it in a vise.

Instinctively, she snapped it out of the gate and L.J was able to pull them to the side, out of the gravity force.

Jayla ripped her glove off and shook out her hand. "Okay that wasn't alright! Damn…"

Her hand looked intact but it was tingling and burning still.

She looked back into the gate. It was still active, for the time being. "What do we do?! We can't leave him in there!"

"We've got to let someone know; we can't just leap half-assed into a Vex gate, we don't know where it goes!" L.J countered.

"And in the meantime, Darren could be fighting hoards of Vex by himself, or be teleported into the next dimension!" Jayla fought back.

"We'll be fine as long as we stay together. I'm going in after him!"

L.J looked like he wanted to argue and then finally sighed frustratedly. "Fine, but we're leaving a marker, so if anyone comes looking for us, they'll know where we went!"

He pulled out and activated a signal beacon and jammed it into the sand in front of the gate. "Let's go. Quickly….Before Ikora tries to check on us."

He took her hand and the two took a deep breath before stepping into the gate.

Jayla almost felt like she was stepping out of the gate in slow motion, but she quickly recovered. The gate shut down as soon as they stepped out. She looked back at the lifeless frame and took a deep, shaky breath. _No turning back now._

They had entered a large room, completely converted by the Vex to layers and layers of plates and there was an alter to activate the next gate across the room.

She looked at L.J and then back around the room.

It appeared to be empty.

There were leads and wires stuck all over this side of the gate too, more pieces of what looked like test equipment, and wires running from the gate to the alter.

She gasped. Her comm system started a loud, dull roaring in her ears. She winced and whacked against the side of her helmet. "Something's wrong…"

"Who goes there!?" A pained, biological voice broke the sterile mechanical room. "Show yourself! Weapons where i can see them!"

Jayla and L.J stepped cautiously to the center of the room, trying not to trip over wires, holding their weapons up.

An Awoken man was sitting on the floor with Darren's Trust hand cannon trained on them. His right arm, up to the shoulder, looked exactly like a Vex goblin's.

Asher Mir.

Before Jayla had a chance to say anything, the gate across the room activated. The three looked up at it, and Darren came floating into view, his boots landing heavily, almost stumbling, in front of them.

He was sweaty and his black hair, which had been in a neat bun only minutes before was now unkempt and slightly matted. He had Merin in his hand, and several scorch marks in his robes. His left eye was bruising and he looked stressed and exhausted.

"It's about bloody time! Where have you been?!"


	4. Differences in Time

Jayla stared at her Warlock as he settled on the ground next to Asher and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Merin floated out of his hand and started scanning up and down his body. "Your hood activator is broken again... you need to stop getting slapped by Minotaurs-"

Asher sat up and began tinkering with Darren's hood. "Remain still, Assistant, if you wish this to be done quickly. It appears the tertiary connector has come loose again…"

"Darren, what happened to you?!" Jayla was shocked. "How did you get yourself in this much trouble?!"

Darren stared at her. "You try holding back the Vex yourself for days!...Right?" He looked up at Merin.

"It's been just over 24 hours." She answered.

Darren leaned heavily against the wall and closed his eyes. "That's all it's been?..."

Asher firmly took his shoulder and tipped him forward so he could see the hood activator at the base of his neck and Darren rolled his eyes.

Jayla knelt next to him on his other side. "Darren, we jumped right in after you. It couldn't have been more than a 3-5 minute delay, at most."

Darren shook his head. "Time passes differently in here...or at least in this pocket of the Pyramidian."

Jayla's eyes widened. "We're in the Pyramidian?"

Darren nodded. "Asher confirmed. But not a part that anybody has been to yet, i don't think. Or maybe they have, and the Vex have changed it...I don't know. All i know is, this part seems...isolated somewhat, but it's still absolutely infested with Vex and they're all out for blood. Asher has waited here, working on the gate to see if he can force an open window back out from this side. You see...we can't get out."

Jayla sat back on her heels, trying to process everything he said.

"So...5 minutes is basically a day here...and...We...can't get out?"

Darren shook his head. "Not until the gate opens from this side. Asher said it used to happen on a regular interval, which is why he was comfortable going back and forth occasionally. But it's malfunctioning."

Jayla was trying hard not to panic. She was starting to think she had made a mistake. "So in the meantime...we fight hoards of Vex, while no one knows where we are, for...a lot longer than they realize?"

Darren nodded. "...in a nutshell. We're safe for the moment because we have control over this gate." He nodded to the second gate across the room. "i think it's part of the malfunction. They can't open it from their end; we can only open it from our's. But I'm sure it won't take them long to find a work-around, so we need to move quickly. We have to find some way out of this pocket so we can contact the Vanguard, or we have to go back thru this gate when it opens from this end. Either option is fine. Because of the time delay, we can't communicate with them until we get out."

Jayla continued nodded while he talked. "So we're stuck here. What is this going to do to our Light?"

Darren looked at Merin. "We've had some issues with that already. I carry enough emergency supplies to sustain the entire fireteam for 6 months, everywhere we go, so quite honestly, we're not nearly as bad off as we could have been-"

Jayla stared at him. "SIX MONTHS?! When on earth did you ever think we would be trapped in a situation like this for that long? Enough that you needed to carry supplies for such a circumstance EVERYWHERE?!"

Darren rolled his eyes. "I like to be prepared. Sue me. Anyhow. Things like food and water won't be a problem, as long as we ration carefully. Asher has no Light, so his physical needs will be more demanding than our's. Which is why i've elected to have him supervise the gate and let me know immediately if it opens from this end. If you let him adjust your comm frequencies, we can communicate with eachother while in this delayed-time pocket."

He sighed " This is where things could get tricky. We just need to be careful...Merin thinks it would be best to conserve our Light for emergencies only. Be careful with our use of abilities...and revives only. No healing unless it's physically hampering our ability to fight."

He winced and touched under his eye gingerly. "We'll have to let bruises and cuts heal on their own."

Jayla was amazed. "And you figured this all out in 24 hours or so?"

Darren smiled a bit. "When you leave two scholars to fight for their lives, you'd be amazed what they can do in a day. All set, Asher? I want to show them what we're up against."

Asher nodded and Darren stood up. "Be cautious, Assistant." He warned him. "Your work thus far has been...adequate, and i have no interest in training a new assistant at this time."

Darren nodded and smiled. "Yes sir."

"Darren," Jayla looked up at him. "Are you sure you're alright? L.J and i can look around; i'd rather you take a minute-"

"I'm fine." Darren reassured her. "I'm feeling better now that you are here. Your light strengthens mine, and makes this more bearable."

His hood activated and flickered a bit. "Let's go."

Jayla activated her helmet and the three guardians stepped up to the second gate, with Darren in the middle and L.J and Jayla on either side of him.

"At your leisure, sir!" Darren called.

Asher began entering commands into the tablet he was holding, and the gate activated.

Darren looked at his fireteam. "Welcome to the Pyramidian."


	5. Alone

Jayla, Darren and L.J stepped out of the Vex warp gate and Jayla slipped.

They had arrived on the other side, on a tiny platform, just barely big enough to hold the gate.

She grabbed Darren's arm to keep from falling forward into the bottomless abyss.

"Well. This is new." Darren said quietly.

Jayla looked up at him. "Are you serious? Do you know where you've taken us? Can we get back?"

Darren nodded slowly. "...Yes. If we tell Asher we're ready, he can open a backtracking portal thru this gate, so we can get back."

Jayla was getting frustrated. "WHY can't we just do that with the first one and get out of here!?"

Darren took a deep breath. "Because. It's. Malfunctioning!"

"Hey, you two. I need you to chill." L.J said firmly. "If they're changing the surroundings in order to combat our movement, we need to figure out how to get a leg up on them. Make the most of each of our opportunities thru the gate. Darren, what's the plan?"

"To get down from here." Darren answered. "Before we fall to our very permanent deaths."

"I second." Jayla answered.

"Okay." L.J looked around them. "That platform ahead. I'll go first, Jayla you go in the middle, Darren you bring up the rear. Follow me.

He took a deep breath. "Lets hope the whole thing doesn't come crashing down with the three of us on it." He muttered.

"What?" Jayla looked up at him.

"Nothing." He answered, and jumped.

Jayla followed, and Darren went last.

"So far so good." L.J relaxed a bit when the platform held their weight.

"Okay. Next one."

They jumped from one platform to another until they landed solidly in front of a larger stretch of surface and stood in front of a long tunnel.

"Wait for it…" Darren took Jayla's arm to keep her from walking forward.

Beams of arc laser activated across the tunnel in a cross pattern, a new set of lasers every 10 feet or so.

"Nice." Jayla answered. "Now what's the plan?"

"Asher?" Darren tapped his comm system. "Lets say we wanted to construct the firewall system now...what would we need?"

"NOW?!" Asher answered. "Impossible! The calculations aren't complete-"

"Yes, but something tells me that the Vex are closer to being able to come thru the second gate than we are to opening the first one. We need to buy time."

Asher sighed agitatedly into the mic. "I currently require at least four Goblin craniums for the initial programming." He answered finally.

"We can work with that." Darren answered. "Okay. Lets go; be careful."

"Same formation." L.J answered.

The wove their way thru the lasers and were greeted by a group of Vex once they exited.

"Crit spots, guys." Jayla reminded them as she loaded her auto rifle.. "Keep the heads intact."

L.J drew his hand cannon and Darren crouched with his sniper. "I'll work on the crits. You guys just get rid of the rest. Lets go."

"Works for me!" Jayla ran and slid in front of the Vex and began shooting, L.J following behind her. The more they killed, the more spawned

"Watch out for the minotaurs; they like to-" Darren tried to call out.

SMACK - One slapped L.J in the side of the head from behind as he was working on shooting a shielded harpy that was hovering above him. He cried out and the force of the blow slid his body across the floor until he stopped in the center of a Vex altar.

Jayla kept glancing over but he wasn't moving.

"L.J! Liam come on now!" She called to him. "Look alive over there!"

The altar began activating.

"Liam! You'll call more of them; come on now!"

She punched a goblin in the face and turned around.

She was just in time to see the floor drop out of the center of the altar, and L.J disappear.

"WHAT?!" Her stomach dropped. "NO! What the hell just happened?!"

It was like her brain left her body, and she managed to take out the rest of the wave like she was on autopilot. She looked around to make sure there was no more coming for the moment, and deactivated her helmet. She walked to the edge and looked down into the alter just as the floor rematerialized. She couldn't jump in after him.

She sank to her knees as Darren shouldered his sniper and walked up calmly behind her, looking for intact Vex craniums.

"DAMNIT!" She slammed her fist into the ground at her side. Arc sparks crackled in her eyes and from the impact of her fist.

Merin finished adding the craniums to Darren's inventory and he walked over to her. "Let's go now." He said gently.

"What are we going to do?!" She asked, standing up.

"We're going back to our gates." He answered. "If he's in comm range, we can try to direct him back once Asher gets the firewall up and we can safely access some more systems without getting any of our equipment hacked into."

Jayla wasn't satisfied with that answer at all and Darren knew it. He put his hand on her shoulder to guide her and keep her moving forward as they walked back to the tunnel.

"It's all we can do."


	6. Wounds of the Past

L.J leaned up and spat out a mouthful of blood, ground flesh and broken teeth.

Both of his legs were shattered. He used his elbows to drag his body backwards, away from the Cabal Legionary.

He felt the chain around his neck pull taut and he stopped sliding.

"That can't be the best you can do." He choked after a minute, eyes tearing as he gasped in pain.

"We go thru this every day, little Lightbearer." The Legionary shook his head. "Yet you still choose to patronize me."

He stretched to his full height over him, and L.J had no choice but to smile. "Kinda lost the excitement over the months, hasn't it?" He said quietly.

The Legionary roared and stomped with the full force of his 800 pound body on L.J's chest.

Bones snapped and he screamed, blood spewing from his mouth.

Again, and again the Legionary stepped on his chest and face as the other Cabal gathered around them roared in laughter and shouted encouragement to the Legionary.

"STOP IT!...please!!…"

Asa, L.J's ghost was trembling with fury from the tiny metal cage he was kept in. He was guarded by a Psion who made sure he didn't try to escape or aid L.J in any way until he was allowed. The cage itself was so small, he wasn't able to open his shell to heal or revive L.J while inside it anyway.

One of the Cabal swiped his hand in the direction of the voice as if shooing away a fly. His heavy hand flung the cage across the room, and under the tank tread that L.J was chained to. The corner of the little robot's shell crunched and dented as he landed.

The Legionary looked down at L.J, who was more of a puddle than a body at this point. He got close to his ear and said, "Same time tomorrow, Lightbearer." And kicked him under the tank.

L.J moaned and choked. Tears streamed down what was left of his face and blood drooled from his mouth, nose and ears. He lay flat on his back as body fluid and crushed organs pooled around him in the dark.

He heard the Cabal resume their work around the bunker and closed his swollen, bruised eyelids. Anytime now.

"Guardian?" He heard Asa's voice. "Guardian, are you still with me?"

He was lying on his side inside the cage, which didn't really allow him any room to hover.

L.J coughed in response. Breathing was getting more and more difficult.

"I was almost hoping you weren't; I'm sure it'll come soon...you make it worse by talking to them."

What's the worst that could happen? Death? Oh wait…that's the best part of this whole Martian tourist attraction. L.J thought.

"Liam?" Asa asked again after a minute. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

"Not...your fault." L.J mumbled.

The pain in his body was starting to go numb and cold.

Anytime now.

He breathed out painfully and choked.

"Liam?" Asa asked again.

No answer.

The ghost shined his eye up at his Guardian's crushed, tear-stained face.

His eyes were closed, and he wasn't breathing.

"Rest for a bit." He sighed.

Just then, the psion grabbed the cage and dragged Asa out from under the tank.

"Get him up." It hissed, opening the door.

"No...are you crazy?! His body can't take this." Asa said angrily. "You won't have a plaything for long if you keep this up-"

The psion shook the cage. "How about i have one of them sssssmash you right now? It would only take them two fingerssss, and then your Lightbearer won't get up ever again."

Asa had never been so conflicted.

They'll come for us. L.J's purpose is bigger than to die for the last time here. We have to hold on.

"Ready to cooperate?" The psion cautiously opened the cage, and Asa hovered out slowly.

He looked down at the mangled remains of his guardian.

"I'm so sorry, Liam…" He whispered brokenly, as his shell opened up into a blue orb.

Light coursed thru L.J's body as he was revived. He shot straight up, thrashing and screaming. "Alec!!? Lyssia!!!"

Asa swooped down to his shoulder. He was curled in a fetal position on the ground, shaking. Asa started whispering in his ear. "Guardian...it'll be over soon-"

"LET ME DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" L.J's bloodcurdling scream filled the bunker.

Asa questioned if he was doing the right thing for an instant, but then replied. "No...i can't, Liam. They'll come for us. You've got to hold on…"

L.J turned onto his hands and knees, gasping and dry-heaving.

The Psion snatched Asa out of the air and stuffed him back into the little cage.

This time a Centurian was waiting, cracking his knuckles and bouncing with anticipation.

"Are you afraid, little Lightbearer? Are you going to cry?" His voice boomed.

L.J's head snapped around to face him. "No."

Hands shaking, he stood up unsteadily. "Hit me with your best shot." His voice trembled a bit.

"That's what i like to hear!" The Centurian cackled. "Something tells me you will be far more entertaining than your friends were!"

Fury rose in L.J's chest and tears filled his eyes as he held his fists up.

Just then, there was a ruckus outside the bunker. Cabal scrambled like ants, yelling at eachother and drawing weapons.

The Centurian was momentarily distracted. L.J used the opportunity to leap on him.

The surprise in his eyes was genuine as he tumbled to the ground, and L.J hit him as hard as he could in the face.

The entry to the bunker exploded in a shower of sparks and Arc light, as a Bladedancer Hunter came charging in with her fireteam of two Titans, one with a blazing Hammer of Sol, and another with a Void shield.

L.J stood up and stomped on the Centurian's face, and almost instantly got his legs knocked out from under him.

The fireteam dropped Cabal left and right.

"This was about where we lost contact with them...look, there's a ghost!" The Bladedancer said, seeing the cage as it rolled from the Psion's hand, under the tank.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" The Void Titan saw L.J with the Centurian.

The Centurian was wailing and screaming. L.J had wrapped the chain that was on his neck around the Cabal's neck and torso and had tied him to the treads of the damaged tank. He was hitting him repeatedly with a length of pipe.

"Lets...See...How...YOU...LIKE...IT!!!!!" L.J punctuated each word with a swing and a direct hit to the Cabal's skull. "Fuck...You...and your FACE, You...God...Damn… BASTARDS!!!"

"Hey, hey…" The Titan caught the pipe as L.J brought it back over his shoulder and tried to swing it again.

"Let me go!!" L.J's eyes were crazed and he fought the titan like a wild animal.

"HEY! Cmon now man...Steady!" The Titan cracked off a shot with his hand cannon, ending the Centurian where he stood. He then grabbed L.J and pinned his arms to his side as he tried to drag him away from the tank.

What the...hell? What did they do to him?

"Brynn, come help me out…" The Titan called to the Bladedancer.

Brynn stabbed the last Cabal in the immediate area and came over to him.

"Hunter...Hey, you've gotta hold still for me; i'm trying to help you-" The Titan kept trying to talk to L.J but he kept fighting him.

"Quick, Brynn, come on!"

"I'm trying; i don't want to cut him!" Brynn answered.

She cautiously raised her knife and arc sparks cut the chain that held L.J to the treads of the tank.

He stopped struggling and paused for a minute. He picked up the end of the chain, looking at first the bladedancer and then the Titan.

"Is there a problem?" The second Titan walked over to them, deactivating his helmet. He was a solid, strong-looking man with a brown face and dark features. "Where's the rest of your fireteam, Hunter?"

L.J continued to look at the three of them, back and forth, stunned.

"Sev, what's wrong with him?" Brynn whispered.

"Hey man...Cabal are rough. Are you okay? We got 'em…" The Void Titan said, still holding L.J's upper arms from behind him, to keep him from running.

"Where is the rest of your fireteam? We were sent here to look for you." The Hammer titan said.

"HEY!" They heard a little automated voice from the ground. "Down here!"

The Hammer titan looked under the tank and scooped up the cage with Asa in it.

"How'd you get in there, little brother?" He asked, surprised, and immediately let him out.

Asa swooped out and positioned himself by L.J's ear. He looked back and forth between the titan and L.J.

"We...He...They did...We've been here...for months. So much has happened..." He said haltingly. He seemed overwhelmed now that he was finally given the chance to talk. "...I knew you'd come."

"Commander Zavala's big on "nobody gets left behind." This is Operation Courier; we've come to see if you and your fireteam lasted this long, or at least if there was any remains to bring back." The Solar Titan said.

"Tank…" Brynn had been watching L.J's face. "He's not okay…"

L.J's huge blue eyes filled with tears. "You're...you're here. We're going back home…"

Tank nodded. "For sure, man. Your fireteam…?"

"They're dead." L.J whispered, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "They're both dead; their ghosts too. Lyssia was melted and...and the war beasts ate Alec Wren's body after they cut him up."

Brynn gasped, horrified, and Sev held L.J's arms tighter.

"That's...Yikes. Are you alright?" Tank asked, his tone softening a little.

"I…" L.J's knees gave way and Sev guided him to the ground.

He sat on his heels, holding the sides of his face and looking around the bunker, like he had let go of trying to survive and was now finally processing everything that had happened to him over the last months.

Brynn gently put her hand on his shoulder to steady him, and Sev went over to watch the doorway.

His eyes… She thought sadly, watching them dart around the room, reliving the pain and panic of the last several months. You can see it all, in his eyes, like a mirror.

"Hey," Tank knelt in front of L.J. "You did the best you could; I know you did. Shit like this happens sometimes but it's not your fault….and we're gonna make them pay. Can you walk…? Can you...Hey…"

L.J's eyes closed and he collapsed, falling forward against Tank's shoulder. It finally hit him, and he broke.

His arms hung limply at his sides and he sobbed against the Titan's chestplate.

Without hesitation, Tank cupped the back of L.J's head with his hand and wrapped the other arm around his shoulders.

"That's it...that's right." He held the hunter close. "You're alright now. We're going to go home... It's gonna be alright."


	7. Strength of the Pack

"L.J? L.J can you hear me? Come on, dammit. I know you're out there…" Jayla tapped her comm system. She sighed, discouraged. I know you're out there.

"You really probably shouldn't be doing that; the last thing we need is the Vex nailing down our communication frequency. He'll contact us when he can." Darren told her. He was sitting, cross-legged on the ground, pulling components out of a goblin cranium. He handed some to Asher and put some more in a pile.

Jayla sighed. "We don't know where that took him. He could be in another reality, or unconscious, or being…experimented on; who knows?! L.J?" She tapped her comm again.

Darren looked at Asher. "Are we ready to proceed to the secondary phase?"

"After a few more simulations, yes." Asher answered. "Patience, and precision, assistant. If we activate the firewall prematurely, ...we could also lose all access to the gate."

Darren nodded steadily. "Take your time."

"L.Jzzzzz….hear me? Damn you….zzzzzz….I know you're out there!"

L.J blinked. What...where...Tank? Brynn?

It was like the simulation crumbled around him. He was still on his knees, exactly where he remembered being but Tank was no longer in front of him. The Cabal base was gone, and so was Tank's fireteam. It was like he was waking up from a dream. He looked down at his hands and felt his head. He had armor on; something he didn't have in the simulation. That...has to be what it was…? Why did it let me go? Why…

Asa was in his hand, powered down. "Asa? Are you okay?" He asked.

The ghost perked up immediately. "What happened? Where are we?"

L.J looked around the dimly lit room; more like a tunnel. "I'm... not too sure. Still within the time distortion tho; Jayla's talking to us."

He tapped his helmet. One side was crushed where the Minotaur had smacked him, but the other side with most of the comm relays was still intact.

"Jay? Jayla, can you hear me?" He asked quietly.

"OH, PRAISE the traveler!!" He smiled as feedback vibrated in his ears from his Titan's enthusiasm. "I knew you were alive! I knew you were okay! Where are you; get your ass back here before the Vex find you and stir-fry you or something!"

L.J shook his head and shakily stood up.

"I'm not quite sure where I am. Everything looks the same here."

Darren tossed Jayla a tablet. "It's calibrated for human life signs, which there shouldn't be many of here. See if you can find him. I've mapped a couple kilometers out from here."

Jayla stared at her warlock. "Damn you can do a lot in 24 hours."

She looked at the tablet and zoomed in and out on the different levels with her fingers. "Yikes there's a lot here."

"That's just a rough sketch, basically." Darren answered. "There's so, so much more."

Jayla searched the levels until "HUMAN LIFESIGNS DETECTED" appeared on the screen.

She tapped her comm system. "L.J, I think i found you. Can you still hear me?"

"Yes." He answered. "I think I've found a way out."

Jayla watched the blip on her screen move to the right. "Okay, just don't go too far or you'll be off the map and i can't help you." She answered.

"Understood." L.J answered.

L.J explained what he had experienced to Asa as they made their way back to the gate.

"I wonder why that." Asa responded. "From my understanding, the Vex use simulations to learn and adapt their plans accordingly. What could your past have for them to learn from?"

L.J shrugged. "I have no idea. Especially that part."

He looked down at his feet. "I miss them. I haven't seen Seven or Tank since...since the whole thing with Brynn. I don't even know if they're still a fireteam anymore."

"You should look them up if...WHEN, we get out of here." Asa answered. "They were good friends for a while."

L.J shrugged. "Things won't be the same. I still don't know if they blame me for the way things went down...they should; it was my fault-"

"They saved us." Asa answered firmly.

"I'm sure they've saved a lot of people." L.J answered.

"Still." Asa answered. "I'm sure they'd love to hear from you. Even Brynn."

"I...caused her a lot of trouble. It was a bad idea, especially back then." L.J pondered. "It makes me nervous about how I interact with Jayla sometimes. I see...i see that coming back."

"People make mistakes. You can't throw away that whole aspect of your life because of one bad experience. Even the right decision made at the wrong time can make a wrong decision. The timing was just wrong."

L.J processed that for a minute but finally shook his head. "I'm not sure if the timing will ever be right."

Finally, Jayla heard L.J's voice over the comm. "Alright. I'm thru the tunnel and outside the gate."

She turned to Asher. "Ready?"

Asher looked hesitant but entered the commands for a backtracking portal so L.J could come through.

"We really should think about setting up surveillance out there." Darren whispered. "I'm certain the Vex could simulate our voices if they get our comm frequency."

He took the tablet back from Jayla and quickly typed a note to himself.

The gate roared to life, and L.J stepped out of it, a bit stressed and tired-looking, but otherwise fine.

Jayla smiled victoriously and caught him up in a huge hug. "We were worried about you." She whispered, her face smushed against his shoulder.

Darren nodded up at L.J "SHE was worried." He clarified quietly. "If you were in the area, it was a simple matter of direction."

Jayla rolled her eyes and blinked several times, resting her head more comfortably. She held L.J tighter and he rubbed her hair playfully. "Well…" He smiled. "I hope you all didn't have too much fun without me."

Jayla shook her head. "You should rest; you look tired...come on." She kept her arm around his waist and led him around the corner, where Darren had set a blanket for each of them.

L.J settled against the wall and laid the blanket over his knees. "You'll probably just want to rest on that." Jayla said. "Orrin said our armor will regulate our body temperatures if we sleep in it."

L.J nodded. "Makes sense. Jay...what do we know about Vex simulations?"

Jayla scrunched up her face and sat next to him. "Not much, unfortunately. Why do you ask?"

"I think...i was just in one." L.J answered. "I don't know why...but I relived when Tank's fireteam found me on Mars."

"Mhh." Jayla nodded gently. "I do think you were unconscious when you fell thru the alter tho-"

"It was too real to be a dream or a relapse…" L.J went on. "I've experienced plenty of those."

Jayla was silent. "Well...here...I suppose anything could happen. Are you alright?"

L.J smiled at his friend. "Yeah…yeah. I'm fine."

"You're sure?" Jayla countered.

L.J patted her knee. "I'm sure. I think i will try to rest for a bit tho."

Jayla nodded. "I think that'll be a good idea; then you can take first watch on the gate tonight."

She reached over and hugged him tight one last time. "I do hope you can rest well."

She stood up and walked around the corner where Asher and Darren were.

"She's...quite affectionate today." Asa looked quizzically at L.J.

L.J shrugged. "She's like that sometimes. It's the separation anxiety. Haven't you noticed how she kinda falls apart unless we're all together?"

Asa was even more confused. "Separation?...maybe a little bit, but it doesn't happen every time...Do you hang out when I'm not around or something?"

L.J bunched the blanket up under his neck and rolled onto his side. "Sometimes." He said again quietly.

Asa looked back between his guardian and the corner where Jayla had gone, and back at L.J again. He thought about questioning some more, but instead he settled next to L.J's face and powered down.


	8. Variations on the Present

Jayla and L.J poked cautiously around the Pyramidian, picking off any Goblins that got too close to their gate and verifying or adjusting Darren's map as they went.

So far it had been an easy task. L.J didn't seem any the worse for wear after his encounter, once he'd gotten some sleep.

They stepped up to a conflux and Jayla held up Orrin to scan it.

"Fascinating." He started. "It appears this entire 'pocket' as you have been calling it, is shielded from the rest of the Pyramidian. Or at least a large part of it. Like an independent lab-style space….I wonder what for."

"Maybe its dangerous-" L.J started.

"Or experimental." Jayla added. "Do you see the edge? How far is it and can we get out of the time distortion?"

Orrin turned to the tablet she was holding. "It's still miles away. I'll upload the relevant data so we can add it to the map later."

"We should be moving." Jayla said as they walked. "If the end is miles away, we should be working towards that, not just hoping and waiting for the other gate to open by chance."

"You're talking about dealing with hordes of angry Vex in unfamiliar territory." L.J answered. "At least by holding the gate, we have a safe place to come back to, for now, and a safe place for Asher, who shouldn't be in combat. Come on, it's been about 30 minutes; we need to head back to the rendezvous point."

Jayla agreed and the two quickly walked from the conflux, just as 6 goblins and two Minotaurs materialized.

"They're onto us; let's ride!" L.J grabbed her hand and started running.

"We're coming in hot!" He yelled into his comm.

Jayla winced as she was hit in the back and leg, slowing their movement.

They rounded a corner and slid directly into a Titan's energy shield.

Jayla curled onto her side and Orrin healed her while L.J disposed of the Vex.

She slowly started to stand up and looked at the titan shield.

L.J was crouched behind it, shooting Vex, alongside the familiar body of a large titan.

Jayla crouched next to him, loading her Thunderlord.

"R-Reno?"

Exactly as she remembered, her extremely tall, strong, Exo brother was training his rocket launcher on Vex and they exploded. The more spawned, the faster he got rid of them.

"You alright?!" He asked her as he continued aiming.

"Y-Yes!" Jayla answered, shooting at the Minotaurs in next wave.

Finally the Vex stopped spawning.

"Let's get back to the gate, before they call in the reinforcements." L.J said, standing up. He quickly gathered a couple goblin craniums and an intact radiolarian pod. Reno-13 pulled Jayla to her feet and she deactivated her helmet. "You alright, kiddo? You look like you've seen a ghost." He asked her.

"Umm…" Tears filled Jayla's eyes. "No, I…"

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "I just missed you, i guess."

"Hey...you were only gone for 30 minutes; are you sure you're okay?" Reno bent over to speak quietly in her ear.

"It...seemed a lot longer than that." Jayla blinked.

"You alright, Jay? Come along gang." L.J pressed, continuing towards their fire-walled gate. "We've got to get back."

Reno squeezed Jayla's shoulders kindly. "I guess that's why he's the leader. Let's go, quickly now."

Jayla nodded and shouldered her thunderlord.

The fireteam made their way back to their gate where Asher Mir was waiting.

"No good...no good…" He looked thru the tablet at all Orrin's scannings.

"The perimeter of the distortion is simply too far to reach without being detected; the security is too dense….no good!" He continued.

Jayla looked up at Reno. He had deactivated his helmet and she looked up at his face. Everything was exactly the way she remembered it; even the scrape on his cheekbone where they'd been goofing around and she'd knocked him off his Sparrow on Venus. Her soul ached, in a way and she silently reached over and squeezed his hand.

He glanced down gently at her, unfazed.

"You getting tired? You haven't slept in a while." He asked kindly.

It still took Jayla by surprise every time he talked. Like her mind wouldn't believe he was there.

"I...I'm fine." She said haltingly.

"Want something to eat?" He tried again.

Jayla deactivated her helmet as well and sat on the floor in front of the pile of Vex parts that L.J had brought back.

"Yeah, i guess that would be a good idea." She agreed.

Reno handed a ration bar down to her. "It's not much but maybe it'll make you tired. You really should try to sleep."

He settled on the ground next to hear and leaned back against the wall.

"Do you need help, sir?" Jayla asked Asher. "I can take the craniums apart; just tell me what you need."

"Just one would do nicely, assistant." Asher answered distractedly.

_Assistant…_

Jayla blinked.

_Something's not right._

She looked at Reno next to her, and L.J lying on the floor across from them.

_Where's…_

"Reno? Where's Darren?"

He sat up. "Jay? Are you sure you're alright?"

Jayla nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine...Darren. Where is he? Is he out working on the map? He shouldn't go alone…"

L.J sat up and Reno glanced from the Hunter back to Jayla.

"Intriguing…" Asher knelt next to Jayla. "Ghost, what are her vital signs?"

Jayla pushed Orrin out of her way as he attempted to scan her and struggled to her feet.

"Guys...what's going on?! Something isn't right. Where's Darren?!"

"Jayla." Reno stood up and put his hand on her shoulder so she wouldn't bolt.

"Everything's going to be okay. We were worried something like this would happen. You've been thru a lot of simulations; it makes sense you'd get confused...But there's no one here named Darren."

Jayla struggled to process. "Not...not now…?"

"Not ever." L.J stood up too.

"No! He was here; he's Asher's assistant, he's mapped...his map!"

She grabbed the tablet amid Asher's protesting. "He's mapped kilometers in every direction of this whole area; the firewall was his idea! We wouldn't be alive without him."

She flipped thru the tablet.

"We've been scouting…" L.J answered. "Orrin has been scanning and mapping as we go. You and i did all that."

Jayla felt like the walls were closing in on her and she started sweating.

"NO! He's a thin warlock, he's really smart, always likes to be prepared, he hates social situations but he loves us! He…" Tears burned her eyes. "He's real. He's here!We need to find him."

"Jayla...it could have been a dream, or a simulation, or anything-" Orrin hovered close to her ear.

"You can't leave, not alone." Reno said firmly.

"He needs our help!" Jayla tried to push him out of the way as she walked towards the gate.

"Fire it up, Asher!"

She saw L.J shake his head to Asher and look at Reno. Do something…

"I'm not crazy!! HE'S HERE! Fire up the gate; i need to find him!"

Reno shook his head. "Jayla, we can't let you go out there alone. And neither of us know this person you're talking about. Whoever it is, they're definitely not here with us."

"You're wrong!" Jayla answered. "Fire. Up. The. Gate!"

Asher began disassembling a cranium and took no notice of her.

"I said, FIRE UP THE GATE!" Jayla stepped threateningly towards him and stomped hard on the radiolarian pod, crushing it and vex fluid splattered on the floor.

Asher yelled and leaped out of the way, stumbling to avoid any contact.

"Alright, that's _enough_!" L.J yelled too. "You just crossed a line; you KNOW what that stuff does! Reno- !"

"Sorry to do this-" Reno strode up behind Jayla and grabbed her around the waist. He tossed her over his shoulder and started walking around the corner, out of view of the gate.

She squirmed and smacked his shoulder and back hard, arc sparks crackling in her eyes.

"HE'S HERE! You don't understand; if he's not in this room, he's out there, and he needs our help! You've got to believe me, DAMMIT, HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!"


	9. Simulation

"Jayla? Jayla can you hear me?"

Jayla blinked several times. Reno was gone. Darren was talking thru her comm system.

"D-Darren!?! Where are you?!" Her voice trembled.

"...On the other side of the gate; are you alright? How's it going over there?"

Jayla looked at her feet. On the ground in front of her, was a small, remote-activated camera lens and some soldering tools.

"I...uh...Surveillance? The camera...I'm mounting it out here." She clarified.

"That's right. Are you alright?" Darren asked again.

"Umm…"

Jayla looked around the small platform with the gate on it. Was I here this whole time? Did the...simulation take me somewhere else?

There was no way to know for certain.

Hands shaking, she placed the lens and began soldering it in place. "Is that okay, Darren?" She watched the lens pan and shift as he observed. "That'll do, thankyou. Come on back."

The backtracking portal activated and Jayla returned to their little base.

Asher and L.J were asleep still. Almost no time has passed at all…

"Thanks for that," Darren was studying the feed on his tablet. "An extra layer of security."

A haunting thought entered Jayla's mind. How do i know the simulation's over? She squinted at Darren. There's no way to know for sure.

"Are you alright?" He asked, glancing up at her.

"I experienced...a simulation of sorts, i think." She said after a minute. "Reno was still alive...L.J was our fireteam leader."

Darren nodded. "Awkward."

"It...was a bit." Jayla admitted. "That wasn't the worst part tho. You...nobody remembered you. It was like you didn't exist."

Darren raised his eyebrows. "A timeline where you, L.J AND Reno-13 were still alive, yet i didn't exist? Not a very believable scenario…"

Jayla finally cracked a bit of a smile. This is real. She told herself.

Darren held out his arm distractedly as he studied his tablet with his other hand. "I know you want to; no sense in putting it off."

Jayla rolled her eyes and gave him a quick hug. He squeezed her shoulders just as she let go.

"Do you need help with anything?" She asked him.

Darren shook his head. "No thankyou; you've done well. Now, if i need something broken into, smashed or recklessly destroyed, I'll let you know."

"You're mean." Jayla stuck her tongue out at him.

"Thankyou." Darren answered back, smirking.

She walked around the corner, Darren assumed to wake L.J or get something to eat.

He settled on the floor among the Vex components and went thru everything in his tablet. Firewall security...Surveillance footage...still no chance of outside contact…no signs of power transfer to the first gate back out.

He looked up at the corner Jayla had just gone around.

She'll be fine. She's dealt thru far tougher things...and she's a different person now.

He looked back at the tablet in his hand but it was gone.

Everything was gone.

Darren was standing at the edge of a burning, crumbling building. Guardians and civilians ran past and around him, like he wasn't even there. He looked up, and recognized a familiar set of I-beams, and an overlooking landing, where Zavala used to stand.

The Tower was burning.

He stepped towards the rubble, looking up. Since nothing seemed to notice he was there, it stood to reason that nothing would damage him either.

A simulation. Perhaps the same as the others experienced.

There were Vex. Swarming like angry wasps, moving surprisingly quickly and formidably; more than he'd ever seen at once, except perhaps on Venus. He watched as a Minotaur, wielding a sword of all things, sliced a frame in half and then turned on an injured guardian and a group of civilians.

The Minotaur glowed, levitated with energy and a giant purple orb exploded from it's hand, decimating the people in front of it.

Darren gasped. That's impossible-! He thought.

"For now...perhaps." Said a smooth, female voice from behind him. Her voice radiated and echoed around him, like it was inside his head. Listening to his thoughts.

Darren whirled around. A humanoid female stood behind him. Her voice didn't match her appearance; she almost wondered if he'd seen her around the tower. She looked quite...average. However, she had glowing, red eyes,

"I am Hela, Inquisitive Mind of the Vex. And i have many questions for you."


End file.
